United Nations Children’s Fund

In October 2006, together with OHCHR and WHO, UNICEF launched the UN Secretary-General’s study on violence against children. The study examined violence against children in a range of settings including: home and family, schools, workplace, institutions, and in the community. The study identifies violence against girls as a priority issue and acknowledges that girls face greater risks of neglect and sexual violence than boys. Hide

UNICEF’s current round of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys provides data on child marriage, on attitudes towards domestic violence, and on FGM/C. The Secretary-General’s study on violence against children includes as one of its principal recommendations that States develop and implement systematic national data collection and research, calling for the disaggregating of data by sex and emphasising this as a factor in strengthening child protection. Hide

UNICEF hosted a region-wide workshop on best practices to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in South Africa which brought together representatives from more than 20 UNICEF offices in Africa, along with government partners to learn from the South African experience of addressing gender-based violence and share experiences to prevent and respond to it. Hide

Much of UNICEF’s work on gender-based violence focuses on capacity-building, with all regions increasingly prioritizing this aspect, as well as the development of a protective environment. Emphasis is placed on training of the police, the judiciary, and teachers. For example, both the West and Central Africa region and the East and Southern Africa region have developed strategies on gender-based violence and are working on capacity-building of UNICEF staff, partners and other actors to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Training materials have been developed for UNICEF staff and partners on gender-based violence. Hide